FREEDOM OF SPEECH Is No Longer Welcome On Our College Campuses — When Did THAT Happen?

As Americans, we have always enjoyed a number of freedoms, and perhaps have taken them for granted. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, so what’s the problem? The problem is that, for the past eight years, speech has been distorted, plagued by political correctness, and given a bad name by the Left. The purveyors of Progressivism have taken it upon themselves to decide what is and what is not “appropriate speech”. What do they mean by “appropriate speech”? Well, I found out that it is speech that is approved by them. If you utter something that they do not like, then they classify it as hate speech. However, if they say something that a Conservative doesn’t like they consider that freedom of speech. What hypocrisy!

If we continue to be complacent and allow this disregard for the Constitution, we shall not only lose freedom of speech but all other freedoms as well. When will Americans begin to care about their fate in this country and stop worrying about the love-lives of Hollywood bimbos? How about learning about our history and how many lives were lost to make sure that we were able to continue to enjoy our freedoms? How many of you have ever read the Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence? Have we become a nation of self-centered, dumbed-down individuals? The Progressives would like that because it would get them closer to their dream of a Socialist state. This is what Barack Obama meant when he said he would “fundamentally transform America” and he almost did. His idea of transforming comes from the Saul Alinsky book entitled Rules for Radicals.

Some of this transforming has resulted in protests at many of our colleges and universities, such as the University of California at Berkeley. In the 1960’s Berkeley was the birthplace of the campus free speech movement. Now it is under the influence of extreme Progressives who are only for selective free speech. What used to be the place for the free exchange of ideas has now disappeared. Now, if an individual is invited by some of the students, to lecture, and the Liberals don’t share his or her ideology, they perform a variety of childish antics ranging from yelling and screaming during the lecture, protesting, and rioting.

The Left always states that they are for inclusivity and diversity of thought However, if it is a different ideology then it is not acceptable. Unfortunately, many members of the faculty encourage this outrageous behavior and the administrators at these facilities do nothing to stop it. This is not the environment our young people should be experiencing. They are our future leaders and cannot learn to be critical thinkers if this continues. The exchange of conflicting ideas in discussions and debates are mandatory and students should be able to safely express their opinions without fear of violence and repercussions.

Many Conservative speakers were heckled, or yelled at so they couldn’t continue their lecture, or were disinvited by the school. As examples of this type of outrageous treatment we have the following…at Clermont-McKenna College Heather McDonald, a Manhattan Institute scholar, supporter of US justice systems and a critic of BLACK LIVES MATTER, was shouted down and forced to escape with a Police escort! At Cornell University, former Senator Rick Santorum, was heckled and shouted down. The leader of the Cornell Republicans was physically assaulted. At Virginia Tech, Jason Riley, a Conservative Wall Street Journal columnist, was invited, then disinvited and then, following a hue and cry, was allowed to speak…to the alumni and donors, but not the students. These are but a few of the many incidents where speakers have been disinvited, heckled and assaulted.

This treatment of lecturers in our America is hard to believe. However, the awful truth is that this goes on across the country…and it’s becoming more prevalent. This behavior is unacceptable and I think that some of the ways to stop it include the following:
*having the schools assume responsibility and clamp down on this type of behavior.
*the denial of funds to colleges that allow this.
*the firing of faculty and administrators who encourage and allow this.

Last words: the tide must turn, as to the environment on campus, or our country will be without leaders for tomorrow. Today, all the colleges and universities are graduating mostly spoiled brats that don’t know what tolerance, diversity of thought, and true freedom of speech really are.

About the author, Sylvia Andrews: Sylvia Andrews has a Masters Degree in nursing, and has practiced for many years. She is politically active, holds strong opinions about how and where the country should be headed. A well-travelled person, she’s been to almost all 50 states and several foreign countries. She advocates for the Constitution and very much for the 2nd Amendment. She can be contacted at sfa1932@att.netView all articles by Sylvia Andrews

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